Generic Trainer Fanfic
by kindoflame
Summary: Title says it all.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1

The only sound filling the night's crisp air is a choir of Noctowl; their young Hoothoot hanging on every note. Not far away a Kangaskhan decides to have Pecha berries for dinner because her child enjoys the sharp taste of the acidic fruit. A tree at the edge of the clearing curls its roots around the nest of two Sandslash, each diligently humming ancient melodies to their unhatched child. A crackling fire is the sole source of light in the forest's clearing, for the Moon and stars had decided to rest behind a blanket of downy clouds.

Two tents that had been built less than an hour earlier stood several meters apart, with nothing but fragrant grass and a pair of traveling companions between them. The companions sat in silence, each focusing on their own tasks. Having finished his assigned work, one turns to the other and says, "So Kind, what are your plans for tomorrow? I'm kinda adventuring blindly so far." He couldn't help but chuckle at his own remark. This night truly was stunning, and definitely worth the hardships of the day before.

Being captivated by the night sky, he wasn't truly expecting an answer from his older companion, but it was certainly sure to come. He then walked over to his Mareep and started to pet her, the Wool Pokemon being his usual substitute for making a fire. His Seviper was... somewhere? He didn't much worry about her. She always comes back.

After a long pause, Kind says, "I caught a Pidgey today and I would like to catch a Rattata before leaving this area. At most, we are 2 days travel until we get to the next city, so I would prefer to catch one tomorrow." It was obvious that Kind had decided on each individual word deliberately. "On a different note, I have the M.R.E. hydrated."

"What?" Nory said in confusion.

"Our dinner is ready. Assuming that you have finished preparing the Pokemon's food, I think that we should give it to them now. Shared activities like eating a meal together helps any team's moral."

"Uh, sure." _Isn't that what we do every night?_ Nory asked himself. _Man, is this guy weird._ Nory set one bowl down next to his tent, because he wanted to continue petting his Mareep. The other 3 bowls he put in a nice grassy spot about 4 meters away from the fire.

Kind called into the forest, "Shootaf, it is time for us to eat." A moment later, a Quilava carrying a bundle of dry sticks eagerly emerged from the darkness. Kind then pulled a Pokéball off of his belt. "Chol, come out." There was a flash of light, and then a small Larvitar was sitting at Kind's feet, with the biggest smile across his face.

The two Pokemon took a quick look around, rushed over to their food and then started eating. Shootaf ate his meal slowly, so as to savor the crushed berries. Then he laid down by the fire, letting the flames just barely lick his fur until he felt like he had been wrapped in a blanket.

Chol on the other hand had apparently decided that he wanted to practice being a Tyranitar. In only 2 minutes he successfully inhaled three quarters of his food. The rest was smeared across his face. Kind immediately got up and filled Chol's bowl. Afterwards, he put a serving of eggplant parmesan on his plate and started enjoying his 15 month old delicacy.

Chol eats slower this time, finishing after only 5 minutes. Without any hesitation he runs over and attaches himself to his trainer's right leg. "/I love you Master!\" Chol suddenly exclaims as he began nuzzling his messy face on Kind's pants. "/I love food and I love you. Food and you, you and food. But not you as food! That's just silly! Master's food is the best food! Best in the world! I love Master's food, Master, and food. But not your food! Human food is only for humans. Humans like Master. I love Master!\"

Kind takes a deep breath and forces his muscles to relax. "Hey there Chol. It is nice to see you," Kind says as he starts to scratch the back of Chol's neck. "Could you, err... give me a minute to eat?" Kind starts gently pushing on Chol, but not nearly strong enough to break the bear hug that was slightly cutting off his foot's circulation. "If you give me a minute, then we can play after I eat."

"/I love Master!\"

Kind surrenders and ignores Chol while eating. _Why do we have to do this every meal?_

Nory was eating in relative silence when a thought creeped into his mind. "Where's the Pidgey? You said you caught it and you definitely don't have six Pokemon on you, so what gives?" Kind said nothing and continued to eat. _Wow this guy is hard to read._ Abruptly stopping the thought that his eggplant was a bird was a Seviper with the look that says that Kind has one less Rattata to catch tomorrow. "There you are Lil' Sev!" Lil' Sev turned to Nory, glaring.

At least the Mareep wasn't being creepy. "/I wanna fight that Quilava,\" the Mareep muttered under her breath.

"/Huh? Did you say something to me?\" responded Shootaf.

"/Nothing that bothers you. Yet...\"

 _Written by Kindoflame of FanFiction and NgamerS of AO3_


	2. Chapter 2: Encounters

Chapter 2

"Where's the Pidgey? You said you caught it and you definitely don't have six Pokemon on you, so what gives?"

 _After Chol helped me catch that Pidgey today, I picked her up in order to treat her wounds with a Potion. I was able to comfortably do so with one hand; I can comfortably pick up a baby up with 2 hands. Therefore, I will make the rough estimate that she weighs about half as much as a baby. Using my Pokédex, I found that female Pidgey have an average weight of 1.8 kg with a standard deviation of 0.3 kg. I remembered that the issue of Nature that I am carrying with me includes the article Effect of Exposure to Small-Water Type Pokemon on Birth Weight. Using that article as a reference, I learned that the average weight of a female human at 2 months old is 4.9 kg with a standard deviation of 0.6 kg. .4.9 kg / 2 = 2.45 kg. That puts this Pidgey well into the 90th percentile. Therefore, she must have a fat reserve significant to last for several weeks. Taking into account a Pokéballs ability to slow the Pokemon's metabolism, albeit at a difficult to predict rate, and the tendency of wild organisms to space meals apart by days by increasing meal size, this Pidgey should not be in need of food until sunrise. It is unlikely that she has already spent an abnormally large amount of days without food because her battling abilities did not appear to be compromised in any way._

"I do not think she is hungry," Kind said after half a minute.

"You sure? That little fella may have not had a decent meal for days."

"Yes."

Nory supposed Kind would know more about the proper feeding habits of pokemon than himself. He honestly doubted his actions when taking care of his own pokemon, being more used to working on a Mareep farm than traveling. He wondered if his Mareep wasn't gaining weight due to negligent feeding, but he could not be certain either way due to her thick coat of wool.

Sev was easier to take care of, that is to say, he really didn't. Nory's Seviper was certainly loyal but she hasn't really grown out of being a wild pokemon. If being honest, the snake pokemon's self-sufficiency was welcome, except for when she would scamper off during important times. I should probably get her back in the ball soon. It can be a pain to find her in the mornings. "Good night Kind." Nory said as he sent his pokemon back to their Pokeballs and neatly laid his utensils by the rest of the supplies.

He went into his tent and removed his vest, boots and gloves. The way in which he slept was rather odd, choosing to get into his sleeping bag alongside his Pokeballs and discarded clothing, save for the boots that were probably even a bit too dirty to put in the tent. Furthermore he closed the bag completely, leaving very little room for air to flow, but enough to not feel too suffocated. Had anyone questioned his behaviour, although not a soul in the vicinity would, he would shrug off the oddness as "Habit." In truth, it gave Nory a sense of security, to know he is unexposed and well prepared, from and for what, respectively, is unknown and irrelevant. However no such explanation was required as Kind would not bother asking such things and probably doesn't watch Nory sleep. Meanwhile...

"Sit still."

"/I can't! It tickles too much!\" Kind is attempting to clean the food stains off of his immature Rock and Ground type Pokemon. Unfortunately for him, the steel wool he is using makes Chol twist and giggling with glee. Shootaf always found these accidental wrestling matches equal parts amusing and annoying.

"/Hey Chol, you do realize that if you keep this up he will trade in that steel wool for soap and water.\"

"/Don't joke about that!,\" Chol shouted, suddenly stopping his laughter and stared at the surprised Quilava very seriously. "/You know touching water makes me feel sick.\" Chol looked down as his voice dropped. "/That's why I will never get to take a bath with Master.\"

"/You... want to bathe with Master?\"

"All done! See how everything goes smoother when you calm down." Kind stood up and took a step back to admire his work. "Only a month old and you are already learning such an important lesson. As a reward for sitting still, how about I let you sleep with me tonight."

Barely a moment after hearing the words, Chol became more ecstatic than a 10 year old who got a Gyarados for his birthday. The juvenile began a rather odd dance that involved running in random direction, jumping with a spin, and many attempts to do a somersault that ended hilariously.

"We should retire now so that we can be at our maximum abilities tomorrow. Shootaf return." The slightly jealous Quilava disappeared as a red beam connected him to his Pokéball. After Kind secured Shootaf to his belt, he turned to see a hyper active Chol trying to open the tent's zipper from the wrong side. _Better get over there before he rips it. Again._ As soon as Kind opens the tent's zipper, Chol barreled in, almost pushing Kind over in the process. Kind chuckled to himself as this brought a nice memory to the surface.

Kind entered and saw a lump in his sleeping bag. After a quick change of clothes, the tired trainer crawled in. He zipped the bag up and then reached deep inside in order to pull the small ball of living stone toward the crook of his left arm.

 _"/Master is so warm and soft. He even used magic to make his scent change into flowers._ _\_ _"_ Chol takes a deep breath and lets the unique aroma relax every part of his being. The small youngster snuggles closer toward Kind and unconsciously mutters a simple phrase that came directly from his heart. "/Master, you're the best.\"

Several hours later, Nory sprang up and drew a sharp breath. He burst out of his sleeping bag as he got ready to continue his adventure. The first chore he did was changing clothes for the first time in... that's not important right now. He picked up his Seviper's Pokeball and some supplies before he got out of the tent. Nory considered who to use for this mission. "Mareep's a little overkill for what I'm trying to get," he said to himself. "Are you ready? Oh yeah, gotta let her out first." He chuckled and let Lil' Sev out of her ball.

The Fang Snake Pokemon glared at Nory for a moment. "/Good morning.\" She said.

Nory took notice of the sun. It has just risen enough to see a small stretch of sky beneath it. _Kind isn't up yet. Weird. Maybe he stayed up late with his Pokemon and got really tired._

Nory shrugged off thoughts of his companion and began looking through his belongings. "Pokeballs, net, potions, pecha berry, binoculars. Sev, am I forgetting something?" In response, she slithered into the tent and came out holding a pair of swim trunks and goggles in her mouth. "I _guess_? I wasn't gonna really go that far just for a water type. Sevvy, do you just want to see me shirtless?"

"/You disgust me\"

Nory went with Lil' Sev over to the shore, and dipped his net into the water after having tied a berry to its rim. The lake was not known for having an awfully large population of Pokémon, and the ones in it were mostly Magikarp. However it did have the ever uncommon Barboach swimming around, and Nory was nothing short of prepared. He adjusted the size of the net by attaching a piece of cloth to its rim with a pre-prepared hole at its front as to ensure entry of only small creatures and water, carefully measuring the size of the cloth's entrance in a direct ratio to the average size of the net's holes so that small Pokemon would be allowed entry and water be allowed exit, creating the ultimate capturing utensil for his mission. Which makes the fact he was shirtless sound more sophisticated.

Shootaf had decided to make his den inside of a cave because it makes the sunrises and sunsets look like framed paintings. Today's exhibit was an Impressionist's attempt to capture a multifaceted landscape using as little paint as possible. Watercolor was the paint used, as it allowed the vibrant reds of the sunlit clouds to sharply contrast with the depressed greens of the tree-shaded meadows. The result was the perfect complement to Van Gogh's Starry Night. Shootaf knew none of this, yet only one thought was running through his mind. _Man, someone really needs to paint that._

Deciding it was about time for him to get up for his morning run, Shootaf locked his hind legs and bent his back downward as far as he could. The dried grasses and leaves that lined his bed crunched at the same time that his back cracked. _That felt nice. Nothing is quite as satisfying as cracking your joints after a good night's sleep._

Shootaf walked out of his humble den and into the sun's heat. " _I think that I will give the urban course a try today."_ He tightened his muscles for a brief moment in order to ignite his flames, and then started running West. The loose rocks and sheer cliffs of the mountain did not hinder the Volcano Pokémon in the least. Once the ground leveled out, Shootaf broke into a full sprint.

After about 5 minutes, Shootaf reached a large chasm and the best part of this course. He kept running at full speed until he was only a meter away from the edge. Then he made a short jump, using the time in the air to move his hind legs directly under his center. When he felt the edge of the cliff dig into his paws like a knife, he released the tension he had stored in his compressed spine, causing his whole body to spring forward.

During his 40 meter fall, he stretched his whole body out. His legs hurt slightly from being pulled so far apart. When the concrete hit his front paws like a Machoke's Dynamic Punch, Shootaf performed a perfectly coordinated roll that transitioned all the momentum and speed he gained from the fall into his dash.

This also marked the beginning of what he called the Urban Area. In front of him stood tall human buildings that rose between 50 to 100 meters off the ground. At least, Shootaf assumed there was ground down there. Whenever he looked, the only thing he could see was a pale mist thick enough to block even the most powerful Lanturn's light. Although the city was big enough to put Goldenrod City to shame, it was completely quiet. None of this bothered Shootaf in the least as he ran across rooftops like some kind of adolescent transformed assassin Squirtle. It felt to him like this was his own private city, in his own private world. And he was right.

After acting out Canabalt for half an hour, Shootaf decided that he has had enough. He jumped off the edge of the roof he was on, even though there was no building ahead to jump to. Instead, he landed on the soft grass of the meadow he saw the sun rise over this morning. In the center of this clearing was a rather ordinary looking rock. It was shaped like a slightly flattened sphere, was barely tall enough to be seen over the wild grasses and was colored with the dullest gray Shootaf could imagine. It was his favorite place.

The young Quilava walked up onto his rock and lay down. The sun warmed his back just as much as his rock warmed his belly. _I wonder what is going on out in the world right now._ He blinked and by the time his eyes had opened a shimmering hole in space had appeared before him. In it he could see Kind trapped by a surprisingly heavy and unsurprisingly cute Pokemon that was pretending to still be asleep.

"/Really Chol! This is too far! You know we have work to do and you decide to sleep in! Worse, you force Master to sleep in too! He was nice and gave you a reward and you use that against him because you're too lazy to do your job! We are **going** to have a chat, and I am **going** to make it clear that **no one** is going to take advantage of Master's big heart.\" For the first time since waking up Shootaf was breathing heavily. Several minutes passed as Shootaf breathed deeply and collected himself. "/ _Well, I guess that I am going to have to go out there and save Master before the whole morning passes._ _\"_ Shootaf dived head first into the opening.

One flash of light and stern conversation later, Shootaf and Kind outside, cleaning up the campsite. Everything was going smoothly until Shootaf suddenly stopped. _I'm sure I heard something._ After a second, he heard it again. Shootaf charged into the undergrowth without hesitation.

"Shootaf!" Kind yelled with concern as he took off after his determined Pokemon.

"/Sorry Master, but there is no time to lose. We have to get there quickly.\" Shootaf called back, as he sped ahead of Kind. After a minute, Shootaf jumped out of the bushes and into a field, landing right between an injured Rattata and a swarm of angry Scyther. "/Back off! This little one couldn't have done anything to deserve such a harsh beating.\"

The lead Scyther took a step forward. "/I am King Jara Hamee. She has stolen from my people many times. Before I was merciful, but she has refused to learn her lesson. Now stand aside outsider, for justice shall be delivered!\"

Fight Scene: imgur.*a/CmnY5 (FF does not let you post links, so you need to replace the star with "com" )

Kind emerged from the forest just as King Jara Hamee finished his attack. With an even voice, he commanded, "Shootaf return." He walked in front of the Rattata, spread his arms wide, and in a firm voice proclaimed, "I do not know what is going on, but I know this; my Pokemon tried to protect this Rattata. That is enough for me. Any punishment you wish to inflict on them, you may instead inflict on me, as long as you promise that they will leave here safely."

Everyone looked at this human in shock. Only a few understood the words, but everyone understood the meaning. King Jara Hamee was the first to recover. "/That is very noble of you human. Let us see if your words have any substance.\"

 **1 Hour Later**

Nory made his way back to the campsite, ecstatic that he finally caught a Water-Type Pokemon. He could not wait to show Kind the newest addition to his team. The thought immediately left his mind once he got back to the campsite though. The tents were completely dismantled and put away, the fire-pit was safely deconstructed, any trash in the area had been cleaned up, and both his and Kind's packs were full their owner's supplies. That is what he expected to see when he got back. What he did not expect to see was Kind sitting down under a tree, holding a bloody rag over his nose, smiling the biggest smile he had ever seen. "Dude! What happened to you?"

"Let's just say that I was catching Pokemon."

"Catching Pokemon! Looks more like throwing rocks at Mankeys! Are those cut-wounds? DO WE HAVE DISINFECTANTS?!" Nory was freaking out and shocked. He was conflicted whether he should giving Kind a First-Aid kit, un-bloodied clothes, or a hug. He settled on getting Mareep, their backpacks and a regained composure. " **Exactly** what happend?"

 _Written by Kindoflame of FanFiction and NgamerS of AO3_


	3. Chapter 3: Introductions

Chapter 3: Introductions

"/That is very noble of you human. Let us see if your words have any substance.\"

King Hamee rushed toward Kind, preparing a X-Scissor aimed right at the human's throat. At the very last second, the crossed blades stopped their advance. Kind didn't even flinch, staring King Hamee in the eye throughout the ordeal. The blades press harder on the giving flesh, until they each drew a single drop of blood. After a moment, King Hamee lowered his arms. Kind was careful to hide his sigh of relief.

"/Son.\"

A young Scyther stepped forward. He dropped to one knee and held his blades behind his back before speaking to his superior. "/Yes, King Father.\"

"/You will travel with this human as his Pokémon.\"

Although he had so many thoughts buzzing through his brain that he was feeling dizzy, his only outward reaction was to respectfully say, "/Yes, King Father.\" Without another word, the juvenile walked toward the human, who tensed at the Pokémon's approach. Kind was completely surprised when his 'attacker' bowed before him. After contemplating for a minute, Kind unhooked a Pokéball from his belt and pressed it against the Scyther's forehead. A red light enveloped and then absorbed the Pokémon. Kind stood still, still shocked by what just happened. He was shaken out of this state when he heard a rustling behind him.

The injured Rattata was crawling away. Kind took out some Pokémon food and offered it to her. The Rattata dug into the food as soon as Kind moved it within her reach. "If you want, I can catch you. You will not be a part of my team. Instead, you will live at a laboratory that will study you. There will always be a warm bed and good food, and no predator will threaten you." The Rattata looked up at the human and nodded eagerly until the Pokéball was pressed against her side.

Kind stood up and turned to the swarm and its leader. "Thank you for the benevolent mercy of sparing this Rattata." Kind said while he bowed in the same manner that the other Scyther, or rather his Scyther, bowed earlier.

King Hamee returned a more conservative bow, bending only at the waist. He replied, "/Thank you for the unfaltering strength of training my child.\"

"…and then I walked back here and finished packing." Nory had attentively listened to the entire story. If anyone else was telling it, he would not believe a word; but Kind had always been truthful. He actually reads the contract you sign whenever you check into a Pokémon Center because he, 'Wanted to make sure nothing I say is true is actually false.'

"They never even touched you?"

"Apart from these two marks on my neck, never."

"But those cuts, and your torn cloths…"

"From when I was running through the forest."

"Then what happen to your nose."

Kind turned his head to the side and deadpanned, "I think that I broke it."

"But how! Did one of the Scyther attack you once you were away from the rest of the swarm? Was it something else?"

"Events happened." Even though Kind was clearly trying to avoid answering the question, Nory would have none of that. He knew that raising the stakes a little would be all it takes to crack Kind.

"Maybe we should alert Officer Jenny that some Pokémon out here broke your face?"

"No, no. That is not necessary." Kind rubbed his neck and kept staring to the side. "You remember the part where the swarm's leader and I were acting really respectful to each other? Right at the end?" Nory nodded. "Well, after that I turned to walk away and, uhh… I kind of walked into a tree."

"WHAT! You stared down a whole swarm of angry Scyther, only to get your clocked cleaned by a tree?" Nory burst into laughter so loud that Kind could not stop himself from chuckling along.

Once they calmed down, Kind finished his story by adding, "I am pretty sure that the Scyther leader facepalmed." A whole new round of laughter started up and did not end for quite a while.

imgur.*/PQuzalX [replace the * with 'com']

Nory was teary eyed and coming down from his laughing fit when he remembered his original goal. "Oh! I finally caught a pokemon that can beat your Larvitar and it's silly Ground typing! Go Barboach!" Nory let his new catch out of his ball.

"/...help...\" it gasped.

"What's wro- OH GOSH WATER FISH RIGHT!" Nory hastily returned the pokemon to the comfort of simulated lake with a look that made Kind chuckle as he was trying to treat his nose. "A WATER-GROUND TYPE! So Chol takes quadruple damage from it's water moves and Quilava's fire moves only deal a fourth damage!" Nory was rather proud to have memorized quite a bit of type effectivenesses. He knew with that and some training (and a suitable environment) he could take on that dreaded type that made his previous team so fearful.

"Oh hey, I just realized that Amp can even take care of your new Flying type! While I was fishing, I also was thinking of some names for my Mareep and came up with Amp. How do you feel about it Amp?"

"/You won't stop using that name from now on no matter what I say, will you?\"

Nory turned to Kind and asked, "Wanna brainstorm some nicknames for the new catches?"

"Maybe later. Right now, let's just get going. I want to reach the Pokemon Center today because of, you know." Kind gestured toward his broken nose.

"Wait wait wait wait. You can't tell me you caught a Scyther and then NOT show it to me! That would be just cruel."

"Fair enough." Kind threw a Pokéball up into the air and yelled, "Scyther, come out!" After a flash of light, a proud Scyther stood before an inquisitive Nory.

"Cool, look at its large blades. They're like swords!"

"/King Master, is this one of your servants?\"

"/Hey!\" interjected Amp. "/Nory is no one's servant! If anything, Kind is the servant.\"

The Scyther turned toward the smaller Pokemon with a truly intimidating stare. In a voice so even and flat that it was almost monotone, he replied, "/You should watch your mouth. Those that tell lies tend to suffer the most.\"

Amp put on a brave face, but was trembling on the inside. Somehow this creepy, calm voice scared Amp more than if he flew off the handle. "/Well, at least Nory knows how to dodge trees!\"

"Look, our Pokemon are making friends," Kind happily remarked.

"Err, making friends. Yeah... That's what they are doing." Fortunately, the stand-off was broken when the group started walking toward the Pokemon Center. The two Pokémon decided to stay on opposite sides of their trainers for the whole journey. They arrived at the Center at about 7:00 PM. "Thank goodness we're here. Another hour and we would have been caught in the dark. How's your nose doing by the way?"

"On one hand, the bleeding has stopped; on the other, the swelling have become worse." After walking through the door, the human duo headed to the counter while the two Pokémon sat down in the lobby. "Hello Nurse Joy. Can-"

"Dear me, we have to get you treated right away! Chansey!" Kind barely had enough time to realize what was happening before Norse Joy and Chansey started dragging Kind toward a back room.

"I'll see you in the cafe," Nory called before Kind was out of earshot.

 _Written by Kindoflame of FanFiction and NgamerS of AO3_


	4. Chapter 4: Preparations

Chapter 4

Before going to the cafe, Nory stopped to get some equipment for his new pal at the neighboring Pokémart. _Slender? Nah_. Most importantly was a clear spherical container designed to endure most conditions one could face while traveling. This allowed the carrying of aquatic Pokémon outside of their Pokéballs, helping the trainers and Pokémon bond. The downside is that it had to be emptied often in order to be cleaned. Being in the more urban and green locations of Tychone, it can easily slip your mind that this is a desert nation. _Well, so long as we're going around the Retneki lake area, I shouldn't get too worried._

Kind would marvel at the sphere's highly coordinated balance of rigid structures, compressible dampeners, and gas permeable membranes. Nory liked how the striped hamster ball filled with water made his Barboach look funny, even if it was the most expensive thing he bought in the last 3 months.

After grabbing a bowl of spaghetti and filling Barboach's vessel with water, Nory sat down in the cafe for some quality bonding. "Hiya there, little guy!"

"/High-a tide-re, large buoy. Like buoyancy!\"

 _I wish I could understand Pokémon_ "So, I thought we could try to come up with a nickname for you! Can't be Barboach forever."

"/I don't nau (like nautical). I have a very spacific taste, do you think you can salmon up the strength for that? Are you shore?\"

"Man, you are glubbing up a STORM of bubbles there. Are you giggling to yourself? Can fish giggle?... Clown fish?" Nory took a bite of his hot pasta barly cooled cooled down by the slightly watery tomato sause. "No, no. that's silly"

"/I think school. (Is cool, s'cool, school of fish, you get it.)\"

"You have that pattern on your side, like half of the Aquarius symbol... "

"/Aqua? Wavy? Scar? Stitches? Those cod be cool names.\"

"Buckets the Barboach!"

"/Hmm...Yes.\" Buckets did a small flip of approval inside the water.

After about an hour Kind joined Nory in the cafeteria with nothing more than a gauge taped over his nose. "Thank was fast," remarked Nory.

"Yes it was. Fortunately, I only fractured the cartilage, so the treatment was fairly minor. Nurse Joy predicts that there will not be a scar after the injury full heals. I am going to the kitchen to get some dinner. Do you desire anything?"

"No thanks, I already ate." Nory went back to talking with his newest friend while Kind disappeared into the kitchen. He reappeared a while later holding a plate with 4 slices of pizza in one hand and a bowl of spaghetti balanced on a bottle of root beer in the other. "I said that I wasn't hungry."

"I recall. This is for me. I did not like getting up to get more food partway through my meal." Nory and Buckets stared at Kind as he ate all of his food in silence.

Bucket inquired, "/Do humans normally eat that much?\" Nory's expression was all of the response Bucket needed.

Once Kind was done, he said goodnight and went to bed. Nory stayed up only a little later, gathering all the new items he would need for Bucket. After a pleasant sleep and nice breakfast, the pair left the Pokémon Center at about 8:00AM. They each had one of their Pokémon out with them. Kind had decided to let Chol out, who was currently zipping all across the path. Nory was carrying Bucket, because he wanted to spend some quality time with his brand new teammate.

After 20 minutes of walking in silence, Nory was starting to feel uncomfortable. He decided to strike up a conversation to break the peace that Kind was enjoying. "So Kind, how's uh... How's your new Pokemon feeling?" Nory said, his eyes darting around the scenery as if advice on how to begin conversations may appear out of the wild grass in place of Sentrets.

"Are you inquiring with regards to mental or physical well being?"

"...Yes."

"Nurse Joy preformed a thorough examination of Charev. He is under the mean size of a Scyther in terms of both height and weight. However, he is still within the 80th percentile for a mature Scyther. Kind paused for a long time. "I have not noticed any mental problems with Charev."

"Well that's good! I hope the rest of your team is taking the addition of a member well. Sev and Amp have been rather quite about Buckets. That's the name by the way Buckets."

Kind said nothing for a beat. _Is it my turn to pick a topic? But I don't want to talk to Nory about anything. Maybe I should just repeat what he said._ "How is Buckets doing?"

"I don't know, how ARE you doing Buckets?" Nory looked down towards his the slender Pokemon with a questioning gaze.

"/Codn't be better if you ask me! Although I'm seansing a... Whale, I just think something big is coming for no fishcernable reason!\"

Nory looked up at Kind. "I think he feels fine."

Kind's only response was to pull out his Pokedex and touch the screen rapidly. Clearly, he had found something more interesting than this conversation to look up. "What are you looking at?" Nory asked as he pushed himself up to Kind and peered at the screen.

"Bucket exhaled bubbles."

"...Don't fish always do that? Besides, he seems... Bubbly!" Nory chuckled to himself, missing the gaze of awe and admiration Buckets gave him. Kind had no reaction to the pun.

"The only air in his container is a small bubble at the top."

Nory paused for a moment to examine the top of Bucket's ball. "Oh! Ummm... I thought. -I thought it had a hole somewhere. Oh jeez, now what do we do?"

"What do we do regarding what?"

"Regarding the inevitable lack of oxygen in Buckets' container?"

"O2 and CO2 can diffuse through the membranes the laterally make up the container."

"...WELL THAN WHY BRING IT UP?!" Nory's face was a mask of exaggerated exasperation as he slumped down and looked at Kind, hoping for an explanation.

"Buckets exhaled bubbles."

"...But- but, the knowledge that he can breathe fine means nothing noteworthy happened! Why did you note it? You are killing me here!"

"Where did the air in the bubbles come from?"

Nory paused and thought hard, considering what Kind had said. "The air that entered his container." Nory said decidedly.

"O2 and CO2, components of the atmosphere, entered his container. These diffused into the water. They were not a gas at that time."

"But his body processed them through his gills and other such organs. Aren't you a biologist or something?"

"As water moves across gills, O2 diffuses into and CO2 diffuses out of the bloodstream. At no point was it a gas."

"...That is very interesting. Do you think he has a defect? I mean, I am certain I saw fish making bubbles before.. I think?" Nory rubbed his forehead in a mix of worry and wonder.

"No."

"Kind I am just confused now, please come back to me when you have more to say about this." He sighed and started walking forward faster in silence.

Kind, Nory, Shootaf, and Amp had stopped in a clearing to have a late lunch. They were enjoying their sandwiches and Pokémon food when Nory was struck with an idea. "Hey, I think it's about time Amp evolved. Do you mind taking a detour so I can find some wild Pokémon?"

Kind looked at his watch, did some quick calculations, and said, "While you are gone I am going to set up camp. By the time you come back, we would only be able to travel for an hour and 40 minutes to travel, plus or minus 18.5 minutes. I would rather spend that time training."

"Thanks man!" Nory and Amp rushed out of the clearing. They were particularly lucky, finding a flock of a whopping five Pidgeys almost immediately!

*Five Thunder Shocks later*

Kind was attempting to train with Chol when he heard some music faintly in the distance.

youtube.*/watch?v=f1ydQu8Gs3M [replace the * with 'com']

Minutes later, the victorious Nory emerged from the woods happily dancing and high-fiving his Flaffy's brand new hands.


	5. Chapter 5: The Plot (Finally!)

Chapter 5: The Plot... Finally!

An elderly Solrock, psionically encased in a personal atmosphere, arrived at the suboceanic cave to which it had been dispatched. A booming verbal and telepathic voice sounded forth from deep within the abyss. " **/Halt!\"** The Solrock stopped, and politely waited for its next instruction. **"/Identify yourself!\"**

"/My lord, I am Solhund the Solrock: rainbow serving, message bearing.\" Solhund used her own telepathic powers to supplement these words in ways only telepathy can.

" **/State the message!\"**

"/My liege has identified 2 humans to nominate: smile wearing, past fleeing & wisdom wielding, future dreading.\" There was a silent pause as more detailed information was communicated telepathically.

" **/Deliver this message to your liege! 'I will assign a servant to assist in the monitoring of these youths. Meanwhile, we must find more nominees. Aleph is very selective regarding matters of trust and may not be satisfied with any of the 124 nominees we have already selected.' \"**

"/I will deliver your message at once, and guard its contents with my life.\"

 **"/You are dismissed!\"** The Solrock bowed deeply and backed out of the cave. After sitting in contemplation for a minute, the Legendary Pokémon turned to swim back inside, but the movement was halted by a swift tackle to the gut.

"/Daddy! Please don't go!\" a child desperately pleaded. Although the child had so more to say, he could no longer form words through his sobbing. Seeing his progeny in such pain hurt the father more than any of his war injuries.

The father curled one wing around his son as he softly said, "/Do not cry my child. I was merely speaking with another. I have no intention of leaving you or your mother so soon after coming home. Now, let us go put you back to bed. You will need your rest if you intend to play with Oliver and Liwanag tomorrow.\"

-.-.-

It had been a day since Solhund had been promised a partner and she was expecting them with bated breath. She was looking forward to getting a new perspective on the data, so she made sure to have a Text of messenger Unown give a copy of her memories to whoever was sent her way.

Solhund could feel a presence approaching her. She turned and fixed her gaze on a Lunatone who was practically exuding nervousness. _Oh, a Solrock and a Lunatone. Typical._

"/Hello. Are you Solhund by any chance?\"

"/The one and only. You are my new partner, I presume.\"

"/Oh, uh... Yes. I'm Blamane. It is nice to meet you,\" the Lunatone replied, seeming startled. "/I was sent here to work with you on the human situation. I have reviewed your observations on the two new candidates.\"

Solhund found some satisfaction in the fact that she was still intimidating enough to make others shake in their proverbial boots, but her fun was short lived as it was time to start discuss their job. "/I think we found the right ones, honestly. What do you think?\" Solhund looked at her new partner with anticipation.

He huffed and said: "/At least you found two humans. I had no luck finding any! Fortunately, some of the other scouts picked up the slack so my Liege has already nominated 30 or so. Even with so many nominees from so many places, it's possible that they could all end up being useless. Let's be frank; they probably won't meet Aleph's standards. He is more paranoid than a Linoone with a hoard of berries!\"

Solhund stopped and thought of what he said. Though he was pessimistic, he was also right. "/I suppose that there is no way around it. We must start testing them.\"

"/Test them? But how?! As far as I am aware this situation is quite unique and complicated, language barrier notwithstanding. Which nominees do we even start with?\" Solhund could practically sense Blamane visualising and dismissing idea after idea.

"/Let's start with the nominees I just identified. The research I've already done suggests that these particular humans could be prime contenders. They are somewhat adept in Human-Human relations. We simply have to show that their Human-Pokémon skills are good enough.\"

Blamane looked to his colleague in anticipation. "/How do you plan to do that?\"

If Solhund could smirk she would. "/With just a smidgen of... **danger**.\"


	6. Chapter 6: An Entirely Skippable Chapter

Chapter 6: An Entirely Skippable Chapter (just trust me on this one)

Nory and Kind decided to have lunch in a small patch of forest near the side of the road that had less trees than most. They then released all of their Pokémon, save for two, who were released with a flourish and a well-aimed toss, respectively.

"Guys and girls, this is Buckets! He will be joining us from now on, so get used to him." Nory announced as Buckets waved at the group, although his attempts may have been impeded by his own physiology.

"/Oh shucks! I don't need such a _splashy_ intro _duck_ tion! I'd much rather stay _anemone_ ss!\"

"/...Anemoness?\" Sev asked, although it was hard to make out over Chol's laughter.

"/A _port_ manteau of anemone and anonymous.\" That one made Shootaf bury his head in his paws.

This motion did not escape Kind's gaze. He thought it over and was certain he had formulated the appropriate response. "Shootaf, you do not need to be scared," Kind said softly. "I know that the last time you saw a Scyther you got hurt, but that happened under much different circumstances."

"/You got beat by a Bug. What, did you forget what type you were?\" Amp teased.

"/It's not my fault I lost! Master wasn't there, so I had no one to battle with. I could have totally burnt that giant roach to a crisp.\"

"/If I recall correctly, my king and father defeated you with a single attack.\" Charev so helpfully added.

Shootaf shot Charev a poisonous look and said through gritted teeth, "/Thank you for the reminder, **your o so great majesty**.\"

As soon as there was a lull in the Pokémons' conversation, Kind said, "It is very nice of you all to comfort Shootaf." Only Nory caught the Pokémons' suppressed giggles. "This is Charev. He the newest member of our team."

"/Hurray!\" Chol shouted as he ran toward his surprised teammate. Before anyone could do anything, Chol had grabbed the ends of Charev's blades and started energetically twirling. "/New friend! New friend! I have a new friend!\"

Charev did his best to remain composed as he said, "/You are quite excitable, small Larvitar. What is your name?\"

"/New friend! New friend! I have a new friend!\"

Nory decided to take pity on the confounded Pokémon. "Lunch is ready," he called out.

Chol immediately released Charev and charged at one of the bowls Nory put down. "/New food! New food! I have some new food!\" Amp walked over to the bowls, glaring at Charev while she walked.

"/Sorry about that,\" Sev said. "/Amp can be a little… competitive at times.\"

"/I am aware. We have met before.\" Charev replied while keeping his eyes on Amp.

"/Jee, what's with the _anemone_ sity? We just a _dive_ d!\"

Sev felt this particular Barboach will make this journey far longer than necessary. "/If you are going to keep doing that at least keep it fresh.\"

"/Fresh, as in _fresh_ water?\"

"/No. Fresh as in _fresh_ seafood is my favorite meal.\" Sev said while licking her lips.

"/ _Whale_ I guess that makes me _chum_ , because _chum_ one ate all your food!\"

Sev cocked her head in confusion. "/What are you talking about? My lunch is right- HEY!\" Everyone's attention turned to Amp, who was eating out of Shootaf's bowl while several empty ones stood strewn about.

Being caught red handed, the offender was uncharacteristically [i] _sheepish_ [/i]. She was blushing deeply when she blurting out, "/...E-Evolution makes you _reeeeeeealy_ hungry. Okay?\"

"/I suppose we will need to forage for food now,\" Charev observed. He proceeded to walk over to a tall maple tree by the side of the road and swiftly used his blades to peel the bark off of the tree.

"/Hey, stop that!\" Shootaf yelled as he ran over. "/I get it, you're angry with Amp, but that doesn't mean you get to take it out on whatever you want.\"

"/I am sorry Prince Shootaf. I do not understand what you mean.\"

"/Stop hurting the trees for no reason.\"

"/Ah, I understand the confusion. I was not attacking the tree out of malice. My people eat the bark of trees.\"

Lil' Sev looked at him with great interest in her glare as well as her voice: "/Really? I thought your kind would be much more in the meat-eater department. Because of your blades.\"

"/O goodness no!\" The stunned Scyther stumbled backward a little. "/What a horrible thing that would be! What kind of monster would do someth-\" Charev interrupted himself when he noticed Lil' Sev squinting at him, amused. After clearing his throat, Charev continued, "/Well, yes. I suppose that may be how some choose to derive their sustenance, but violence is not the Scyther way.\"

"/I have several cuts and bruises that beg to differ,\" Shootaf muttered under his breath.

Charev turned toward Shootaf and respectfully bowed his head. "/I am sorry, Prince Shootaf.\"

"/What are you apologizing for? It was your dad, King whatever, that did it.\"

Charev shot up straight at the mention of his father and proudly announced, "/I am the son of Jara Hamee of the Hork-Bajir swarm and Ket Halpak, a swarmless.\"

"/How could she not be part of a swarm?\" inquired Amp. "/I thought all groups of Bug Types were called swarms.\"

"/Th- They are. My parents meet each other under... usual circumstances. At the time they were both- What I mean is there were these humans and- \" Charev could not stop himself from diverting his gaze and coughing mid-sentence.

"/Now now, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,\" Sev said in a soothing tone while patting Charev on the back with the tail blade.

"/Yeah!\" Chol piped-up. "/Let's talk about something way awesomer, like how you're royalty!\"

Charev looked at the youngster with amusement. "/You know very little of Scyther society, even as a group, do you?\"

"/Not really,\" answered Amp. "/Scyther never showed up around the farm Sev and I grew up on, and Chol is only a month old.\"

"/Then it would my honor to educate you. The leader of a swarm is given the title 'King'. The king appoints princes to deal with the day to day needs of the swarm. They are the ones who assign give us our daily tasks, such as patrols or guard-duty to the warriors and training or food collecting to the youngsters.\"

"/Wait,\" interrupted Shootaf. "/Is that why you called me a prince earlier?\"

"/Yes. It is clear from our group's demeanor that you are the second in command.\" Amp was about to object, but Charev continued before she had a chance. "/Although any member of the swarm can challenge the king for the title, it is unusual for anyone besides a prince to do so. This is because only a prince has proven their loyalty to the swarm enough that everyone knows that they are not acting out of a hunger for power.\"

"/Sorry to cut your super interesting lesson short,\" Amp cut in rudely, "/but it appears that Nory and Kind are just about ready to get going.\"

 _Written by Kindoflame of FanFiction and NgamerS of AO3_


	7. Chapter 7: Testing

Nory and Kind were pondering their next destination as Buckets and Chol took in the scenery they were walking past. Nory was bothered that he couldn't remember the name of the city they were nearing. _An- Av- Definitely something with an A... Arihana!_ Nory brought Kind's attention away from the road with a misfired snap of his fingers. _Stupid gloves! Stupid awesome, cool-looking gloves!_

"You know Kind, I don't think I have ever visited a city as big as Arihana before. How weird is that?"

"I am not sure what the probability of that happening is. You are only 15, started traveling recently, lived far from an area of high population density..."

"I meant how weird is Arihana. You have been traveling for a while so you must have been to some pretty huge metropolises before."

"I have been to some metropoleis before. My experience is what I expect you would predict; large groups of people and loud environm-"

"Look out!" Nory yelled as he tackled Kind, shielding him from a stream of airborne stones.

Solhund was very content with her plan. _Battle is the only way to see one's true nature. If they fight I can see how disciplined they are, and if they run away, well then they weren't worth much to begin with, were they?_ Solhund was careful to make her first Rock Slide just graze them, giving the humans time to respond before the real fighting started.

Nory prepared Buckets for battle by opening the top of his orb. "Water Gun!" he commanded as Buckets jumped out of the opening and released a burst of water right into the Solrock's face. Rather than being deterred like Nory expected, the Rock type Pokémon took the hit as if it was from a kid's toy. The aggressive Pokemon proceeded to knock Buckets into a nearby river with a well-timed Psychic. "Buckets!"

"/Way to get... carried away..\" The small Barboach managed a final pun before hitting a bolder jutting out of the water with enough force to send a worrying ' _crack_ ' through the air. Nory jumped into the water as well, disregarding how water-savvy Buckets was. That was a harsh blow and all Nory cared about was seeing his Pokémon alive and well.

"/RRAAAAARGH!\" Chol roared with fury.

"Wait, Chol!" Kind's words fell on deaf ears. All the type advantages in the world could not convince him that the immature Pokémon was ready for his first battle, but it seems it wasn't his decision to make.

Chol's Bite attack was rather successful, for a short while. Eventually he was flung off by the Solrock's violent twisting. Kind held out the Pokéball he already had at the ready. "Return," Kind commanded while Chol was still flying through the air, stopping the month-old from taking a hit similar to Buckets. Solhund turned away from her disappearing enemy to find herself facing Kind's other 2 Pokemon.

 _Using the time the young one got him to prepare for the true battle. Quite a quick thinker,_ the attacker mentally noted. _If a bit uncaring._ Nory ran back from the river soaking wet, ready to join Kind in combating this menace with Amp and Sev.

"/Stop this!\" Charev said with great confidence filling his voice, undermined by his position in the back of the party and the fact he was breaking into a nervous... whatever bugs do instead of sweat. "/Why do you assault us? I assure you we are but peaceful travelers that seek to do no harm!\" Solhund was silent for she had decided that an explanation should come last in this situation, especially if the humans prove malicious.

"/Stop, or be stopped!\" commanded Shootaf.

Much to Amp's dismay, it had been a general consensus among the Pokémon that the Fire type was their unofficial leader, or at the very least he could pull seniority. "/Oh no hotshot! You are **not** showing me up here! I can take this Solrock. Better than you anyway.\"

Sev was appalled by what she thought was Amp's selfish need for glory. "/What are you- this is serious! We need to work against this threat!\" Sev found herself talking to Amp's back as she jumped right over Shootaf.

"/I said I got this! You on the other hand are both at a disadvantage.\" She then used a Thunder Shock to dispersed the incoming rocks, some striking her despite her best efforts. **"/Just let me do this!\"**

Recognizing that the Amp and Nory could hold their own for a bit, Kind saw the chance he was waiting for and quickly took a breath. He then stared at his shoes for a full 30 seconds even though every trainer is taught to never take their eyes off a battle.

 _Why is this Solrock attacking us? There is no trainer to order it and aggressive wild Pokémon do not claim territory near human habitats or routes. Maybe it holds a grudge against humans because some poach-_ **STOP! The relevant information is that it is attacking. I can reason out its motive later.**

 _It is a 1 on 4 fight, so our numbers is our advantage. We should set up a perimeter and attack from multiple angles. The polygon our Pokémon make should be regular, modified based on effective attack range and dodging speed. I can quickly estimate the correct modif-_ **STOP! I cannot. There are too many variables.**

 _I need to simplify the situation. The fastest way to do that is to return Pokémon. This compromises our most major advantage though. By returning Pokémon until the fight is 1 on 2, we preserving the numerical advantage while decreasing calculation time. This also opens the possibility of turning this fight into a battle of attrition against an opponent that has no Pokémon in reserve. If Nory and I each have one Pokémon in battle, our cognitive capabilities can both be utilized as once. In contrast, if Nory or I had 2 Pokémon in battle while the other had none, our cognitive abilities would be used sequentially instead of in parallel._

"Nory! Return one of your Pokémon!"

"What!? We have it outnumbered! We should-"

"Just #^&(%+} do it!" Nory stared at Kind wide eyed for a moment. He had never heard Kind swear before, or even yell. Sure, he raised his voice during Pokémon battles, but that was just to be heard. What just happened was completely different. There was another explosion as Amp's Thunder Shock was blocked by a Psywave.

 _Amp seems to he doing better than anyone else right now_ "Return Lil' Sev! Amp, Thunder Wave!"

"Shootaf, return!"

Nory squinted at Kind. _What is he doing? A Bug- and Flying-Type versus a Rock-Type. Is he suicidal?!_

"Charev, use Double Team as much as possible, but only in front of it!"

 _Correction: genius._ "Got it! Amp, use Charge as much as possible. We have to use the most out of the time Charev is buying us!"

"/Gah! It really is true what they say about bugs!\" Charev wasn't listening to the attacking Solrock, instead focusing on hiding among his rapidly disappearing duplicates. The paralysis was helping, but it was still a matter of time before all the Double Teams in the worlds couldn't help him.

After a full minute, Solhund's train of thought became all over the place. This has stopped being a test quite a while ago. The Water and Dark attacks she took back-to-back made her angry; the constant misdirection she faced now made her utterly furious. "/ **CHEAP** _tactics! That's what this is!_ **CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!** \"

Nory trusted Kind with all his heart, but he had an idea he was itching to put into motion, and he wasn't the only one. Nory swiped his hand past his waist as he took a breath, waiting for the perfect moment. When one of the Solrock's attacks created a sizable dust cloud, Nory throw what he was holding with as much force as he could.

"/Ow! Was that a rock?\" Solhund wondered out loud as something bounced between her eyes. "/What kind of ill-mannered human chucks a rock at a Pokémon!?\" Solhund howled. Her eyes widened once she saw that it was actually a Pokéball.

"Sev use Bite, now!" Solhund was hardly quick enough to react to the Seviper emerging from her nearby Pokéball, letting the faster Pokémon latch on to a particularly vulnerable spot at the base of one of Solhund's horns.

"Amp! Use Thunder Shock, and give it everything you got!"

Amp was buzzing with stored electricity from the Charges she had used previously. She took a deep breath and unleashed it all in the most powerful blast she had ever experienced. She let out a scream as the ground around her was fragmented by the powerful currents. By random chance, one of the many bolts of electricity leapt toward the Solrock.

-.-.-

Panting. All Solhund could hear was her own panting. Panting was not even a thing she could conceive of herself doing only minutes ago. _Well, they're clever I'll give them that,_ the Solrock thought as she slowly got up to make her escape.

"Charev!" Kind ran over to his downed Pokémon.

Charev slowly got to his feet with Kind's assistance. He replied between shaky, yet deep breaths, "/King Master, I am fine.\"

"Is everyone alright?" Nory asked while rubbing his eyes, trying to make the spots disappear.

"Yeah, we are all fine. I think that the Solrock will not be a problem anymore."

"What on Earth happened?"

"Amp did... did something. I am not sure."

"/N- N- Nory\"

"Sev! Lil' Sev! Is that you?" Nory's sight finally returned and he saw what was before him. _Oh no._ Lil' Sev was lying on the ground in an awkward pose with burns dotting her body. Her breaths were much too shallow and sparse. Nory sprinted past Amp, who was on a knee and clutching her chest, hyperventilating. "Sev! Come one, stay with me. SEV!"


End file.
